If you could double the amount of pledges you accept from donors this year, it would be a no-brainer. But, would your current process hold you back from jumping on that opportunity? Unfortunately, the likely answer is yes there again.
One area of the process that’s likely to get in the way of doubling pledges is pledge reminders. Pledge reminders prevent organizations from scaling because they’re done in monthly batches that involve running reports, sending mailings, and relying on one person on the gift processing team to send all of those “invoices” to track down payments.
The vast majority of nonprofit organizations use some sort of manual process or report when it comes to pledge reminders – that’s just how fundraising has always been done. Digital pledge reminders change this dynamic, making it easier for your donors to pay, and automated so you can secure more pledges from more donors.
Let’s look at the benefits of digital pledge reminders.
Gift Officers Love Digital Pledge Reminders
When your gift officers meet with a donor who confirms that they will make a pledge to your organization, that gift officer spends a lot of follow-up time re-soliciting that donor to essentially pay the bill when it comes time.
And, in fundraising, it’s fairly common that when pledges aren’t paid, someone leans on the assigned gift officer to follow up manually. Gift officers should never spend their time acting like bill collectors.
Digital pledge reminders are automated nudges that take the “bill collecting” aspect of the job away from the fundraiser, in turn improving the overall donor experience.
Hybrid Automation
Digital pledge reminders use hybrid automation to ensure that all dates, amounts, and messaging are fully customizable – at any point in the pledge process. This means that if your donor has a life event, such as a death in the family, and your gift officer knows a reminder is not appropriate, they can cancel, postpone, or reschedule the reminder. It also means that pledge reminders can be as personal as necessary.
For example, if your gift officer just met with a donor and they want to make sure the pledge reminder references their most recent interaction, they can do that at any time. They can also include information related to the impact of a gift to add a touch of stewardship.
What’s Included in a Digital Pledge Reminder?
The underwriting technology that Givzey’s automated digital pledge reminders are built on was created by fundraisers to ensure they are appropriate for your donors. Each pledge reminder includes a series of four reminders leading up to a pledge payment due date and can be set for multiple years.
Not only do digital pledge reminders improve life for your fundraisers, they also make paying for a gift easier for donors. Because digital pledge reminders are automated and sent directly to a donor’s email, they only need a single click to be directed to their preferred method of payment.
Additionally, for Advancement Services professionals, digital pledge reminders relieve the manual process of physically sending reminders through the mail, where they may be discarded.
We all wish we could scale giving in a significant way. Until now, the pledge process has always held manual components that prevented you from achieving this. Digital pledge reminders are one way that Givzey’s Gift Agreement Platform empowers you to scale pledges to all levels of giving.